Juneteenth celebration in Richmond

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

Please enable Javascript to watch this video

RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) - Families from all over Richmond celebrated Juneteenth at the Black History Museum and Culture Center on Saturday. It's one of the oldest traditions recognizing the end of slavery in America, dating back to June 19th, 1865.

That's when Union troops in Galveston, Texas finally announced all slaves there were freed, in which laid the foundation for Juneteenth celebrations. It happened two and a half years after President Lincoln gave the Emancipation Proclamation.

Today's event included artwork, food and crafts. Organizers of Saturday's event say they want to use Juneteenth to celebrate African American culture.

Executive Director Maureen Elgersman-Lee says, "We're taking this moment to recognize that moment in history, but also to use it as another moment to celebrate family and history and culture."